Word: mirvs
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Upset Balance. The risks that William Foster describes are real. Central to them is a frightening new weapon called MIRV, for "multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle" (see box, page 14). MIRV, even more than the anti-ballistic missile, threatens to upset the uneasy balance of deterrence that the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. have achieved. It may also set off a domestic debate that could surpass in fervor the acrimonious ABM dispute...
Both the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. are already testing multiple missile launchers, although the U.S. is believed to have a wide lead. The Pentagon argues for continuing the tests, and for development of MIRV, on the grounds that the U.S. system is nearly operational and stopping tests would simply give the Russians a chance to catch up. The technical teams at work on MIRV in private industry would have to be disbanded, and they could not be rapidly reassembled in case the U.S.S.R. makes a dramatic breakthrough. On the other hand, the President is under considerable pressure to suspend MIRV...
Warhead Nose Count. Unless such a moratorium is agreed to early in SALT, many experts believe, the chance of real progress toward arms limitation is small. If both the U.S. and the Soviet Union proceed to MIRV deployment, the ensuing uncertainty would make a freeze on nuclear weaponry almost impossible to achieve. Policing an agreement to regulate the number of warheads installed in missiles would not be feasible. Spy satellites can count launch vehicles, but not their contents. Even an inspector on the ground would have to take a missile nose cone apart and physically count the number of warheads...
...MIRV (multiple independent re-entry vehicle): the newest thing in offensive missiles, now under development by the U.S. It will be at least two years before models are operational. The main innovation is that each missile will be able to carry several separate nuclear warheads-as many as ten in the submarine-borne version, and three in the land-based model. Each warhead will be assigned to a different target. Thus, MIRV would increase the nuclear punch severalfold without escalating the number of delivery missiles...
...vessels. They have a shorter range and smaller payload than the Minuteman series, but operate from mobile launching platforms that can generally evade detection while cruising. Three-quarters of the Polaris missiles are scheduled to be replaced during the early '70s with Poseidons, which will have MIRV capability...